At their Tuesday, September 14 meeting, New Fairfield’s Permanent Building Committee (PBC) walked through current Consolidated Early Learning Academy (CELA) project headaches, a series of change orders, an updated Value Engineering (VE) list for the high school, and plans for the new temporary bus parking area in the lot that’s adjacent to the football field/track.

JCJ Architecture’s Ms. Christine O’Hare gave an update on the issue of CELA’s roofing material delays. She explained that, though a possible solution for a temporary barrier that would stay in place and be covered by the permanent roof has been suggested, their firm is not recommending approval. They fear that, without proper insulation, there could be a potential for condensation on the interior of the roofing system and within the building. They are also concerned that, if the permanent roof leaked, a water-trapping “sandwich” could occur and lead to major problems. Finally, they are nervous about the pitch in current plans for a temporary roof.

O’Hare is compiling a spreadsheet to track the potential issues, solutions, cost options. The PBC discussed the issue, which has growing potential cost impacts, pragmatically. “We want to make sure we’re not spinning our wheels,” Mr. Paul Boniello said, “I really don’t think this should be this costly.” He explained that, though this year the materials delays are exacerbated, this is not an uncommon issue and the group needs to look more closely at the schedule, make sure it’s accurate, and look at the concerns in depth.

There was frustration among PBC members when they learned that their request for a simple dye test at CELA was disregarded and a sanitary pipe—wh ich has been the topic of much discussion—was tied into the system without the test being completed, which would have clarified whether storm water is being picked up. It was noted that there is still conversation happening regarding completing the test, but PBC members lamented that point of the test was missed. Mr. Mike Del Monaco said “that was two weeks ago we talked about this…that’s a problem.” Mr. Don Kellogg agreed, saying that the test should have been completed soon after their last meeting. “What’s the point of us having meetings if you’re going to ignore us?,” Del Monaco admonished.

O&G’s Mr. Zach Rowley put a positive spin on the forward movement of the pipe, saying that the new sewer system is live, tested, and “everything is working well.” Though there is backfill over t he pipe right now, Kellogg stressed that “I want to make sure that nothing is covering the pipe until the dye test is done.” Ms. Ann Brown also suggested that a smoke test could be completed. Colliers International’s Mr. Scott Pellman explained that, in further discussion and review of existing plans, it is very possible that a roof drain is tied into that line.

Another possible design error was caught at CELA in a roof drain that was slated to be abandoned, but that is actually critical to the system. The drain runs internally, picking up a number of other drains and then runs horizontally underground. PBC members asked for all documentation and said that they needed time to review the issue.

With construction moving rapidly, and changes happening on the fly, there was an agreement that a better plan needed to be put in place to alert town officials when changes are made. Though O&G maintains extensive logs, changes are sometimes occurring too fast for the fire and building inspectors to keep up. One change was a movement of lockers at CELA—a decision to more logically reallocate assets by school officials, but not one made by the PBC—which did not come back to the town for approval. “Going forward anything that’s changed needs to go through the office,” Fire Mar shall Mr. Derrek Guertin sa id. He explained that town officials “are getting very frustrated trying to keep up with the permit process.”

Pellman reported on the recommended high school VE list, explaining that there are still some items under consideration for cuts or modifications. The items that are approved for modification include: moldings, ceiling and wall tiles, lighting, electrical, and architectural and door hardware. PBC members clarified that the values for each of the modifications need to be scrutinized, given that these are significant changes in quality, and the draft credits that are currently listed on working spreadsheets are far lower then they would expect.

There was a brief discussion regarding the temporary bus lot that has been created near the track/football field. It was noted that once the buses moved into place during the week of this meeting, it became clear the math was not working and they realized that more space was needed for the buses to adequately maneuver. With that solved, there is now a realization that there are not enough spaces for the bus drivers to park their own vehicles. There are ongoing discussions regarding a solution—including a not-favored option to park over leaching fields—but it was agreed that they will not take parking away from the students. There was also agreement on the need for temporary lighting in the bus lot.

In public comment, Ms. Monika Thiel noted that high school neighbors had received a notice about blasting and she explained that she needed more information about the plans. She also asked that a large construction sign in her yard be removed. O&G’s Mr. Joe Vitro explained that his crew would be reaching out to neighbors to open a line of communication and plans to supply his cell phone number in case of concern.

The next regular Permanent Building Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 28, 7:30 p.m.

By Sarah Opdahl